Car bomb hits eastern Turkish city of Van, 27 injured

Istanbul, Sep 12 (AFP) A car bomb exploded outside theruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) headquarters in theeastern Turkish city of Van today, leaving 27 people wounded,officials said. The attack took place in the heart of the bustling city,between the ruling AKP’s offices and those of the governor. A Turkish official said 27 people were wounded, twocritically. "The blast was caused by a car bomb," the official saidon condition of anonymity. Besir Atalay, an AKP lawmaker from Van, said two of theinjured were police officers, describing the whereabouts ofthe attack as a "busy street, the centre of the boulevard," inlive comments on the private NTV television. It was not immediately clear who was behind the blastthat took place on the first day of the Muslim holiday of EidAl-Adha. Atalay pointed the finger of blame at the outlawedKurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) that is listed as a terrorgroup by Turkey and its Western allies. "The terrorist organisation has targeted our partybuilding and the AKP’s presence in the past. This is one ofthem," he added. Witnesses said the force of the blast shattered thewindows in the surrounding vicinity and the AKP’s provincialoffices sustained severe damage. Several ambulances rushed to the scene and televisionimages showed water cannon being used to put out a fire causedby the explosion. Van, a city with a mixed Kurdish and Turkish populationon the shores of the lake of the same name, has generally beenspared the worst of attacks like those seen in the nearby cityof Diyarbakir. The city is a popular tourist destination, particularlywith Iranians who arrive from across the border in hugenumbers to enjoy shopping and the relaxed atmosphere. The blast came a day after the government announced theremoval of 28 mayors, mainly over alleged links to the PKK ina move strongly denounced by pro-Kurdish parties. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan defended the suspension of28 mayors, saying it was a long-overdue. "You, as mayors and municipal councils, cannot stand upand support terrorist organisations," he told reporters afterprayers outside an Istanbul mosque, shortly before the attack. "You do not have such an authority." The government has stepped up its military campaign inthe restive southeast to eradicate PKK militants, who havelaunched almost daily attacks since the rupture of a fragileceasefire last year. Tens of thousands of people have been killed since thePKK first took up arms in 1984, with the aim of carving out anindependent state for Turkey’s Kurdish minority. Turkey has also launched an operation inside Syria toremove Islamic State (IS) group militants as well as SyrianKurdish militia from its frontier. (AFP)PMS